Second year of successful breeding at Saving Wildcats conservation breeding for release centre - Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
Wildcat kittens which will likely be released into the wild in 2024 as part of the Saving Wildcats partnership project have been born for a second year running at the Saving Wildcats conservation breeding for release centre at the Highland Wildlife Park.
The partnership has welcomed 11 kittens in four litters so far with the Saving Wildcats team hopeful for more births in coming weeks.
Led by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), Saving Wildcats is working with national and international experts to restore Scotland’s critically endangered wildcat population by breeding and releasing them into the Cairngorms Connect area of the Cairngorms National Park while also taking action to mitigate threats faced in the wild.
Saving Wildcats has undertaken widespread engagement with local communities and drawn on global conservation and scientific expertise to further understanding of wildcat ecology and behaviour. The first releases of kittens born in 2022 began in June this year.
David Barclay, Saving Wildcats conservation manager, said “Wildcats in Scotland are on the brink of extinction and these kittens will play an important role in securing a future for the species. We know there are 11 kittens from four litters so far and we hope there will be more born in coming weeks. It is still early days for our new wildcat kittens who are vulnerable in their first weeks and months. Over the next year the wildcats will be prepared for the challenges of life in the wild. Once they are independent and no longer reliant on their mums, they will move into large pre-release enclosures designed to support natural development and reduce exposure to humans and disturbance. Everything we learn from the wildcat releases which have begun this year will help to inform the future releases and ensure they are as successful as possible.”
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Posted On: 26/07/2023